Synopsis

Movie Plot :

Andrew Neiman is a first-year jazz student at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory in New York. He has been playing drums from a young age and aspires to become like Buddy Rich. Famed conductor Terence Fletcher discovers Andrew practicing in the music room and invites him into his studio band as the alternate for core drummer Carl Tanner. Fletcher is strict and abusive toward his students, mocking and insulting them; when the band rehearses the Hank Levy piece “Whiplash” and Andrew struggles to keep the tempo, Fletcher hurls a chair at him, slaps him and berates him in front of the class.

At a jazz competition, Andrew misplaces Carl’s sheet music. Since Carl cannot play without it, Andrew steps in, telling Fletcher that he can perform “Whiplash” from memory. After a successful performance, Fletcher promotes him to core drummer. Soon after, Fletcher recruits Ryan Connolly, the core drummer from Andrew’s former lower-level class. Andrew believes Connolly is the less talented drummer and is infuriated when Fletcher promotes him to core. Determined to impress Fletcher, Andrew practices until his hands bleed and breaks up with his new girlfriend Nicole, believing she will hold him back. He endures a grueling 2 A.M. tryout session with Fletcher and the other drummers in the class, in which Fletcher kicks furniture and screams at him, and earns back the core spot.

On the way to another competition, Andrew’s bus breaks down. He rents a car but arrives late and realizes he left his drumsticks at the rental office. After a dressing-down from Fletcher, Andrew races back to the rental office to retrieve the drumsticks, but his car is broadsided. He crawls from the wreckage, runs back to the theater and arrives on stage bloody and injured. When he struggles to play “Caravan” due to his injuries, Fletcher halts the performance to tell Andrew he is “done”. Enraged, Andrew attacks Fletcher in front of the audience and is dismissed from Shaffer Conservatory.